


Smarter Than That

by notenoughcoffee



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 08:10:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18869221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notenoughcoffee/pseuds/notenoughcoffee
Summary: Prompt: “I thought you were smarter than that.” “Then obviously you’re not very smart either.”Alcohol and self-pity. Katherine has a rough night.





	Smarter Than That

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't expect this to go the way it did. Y'all asked for fluff, but only angst wanted to happen. Sorry?

Katherine teetered perilously close to the road. She had to clutch at the metal railing next to the crossing to keep herself steady. Her fingers squished in the chewed gum stuck to the underside. Unable to hide her revulsion, her face contorted with disgust, and she shook her hand as if it would free her from the germs she had just stuck her hand directly in. Just one more thing to add to her disastrous night which had started so well. 

 

*

 

_ She and a few of the girls had gone to the pub for a quick drink after the show. A “quick drink” always seems to turn into a few drinks, and on occasions like this night, it had turned into many drinks. She had had enough for her to feel the tension slip away from her shoulders and melt away from her limbs, enough to lean her soothed body into Parr’s side and almost pretend to listen to her as she lamented the socio-economic disparity she had expected time to resolve, enough for her lips to feel tingly and numb as she assured Cleves that she wasn’t falling asleep, she was just resting, but definitely not enough to stop her from having just one more drink.  _

 

_ Katherine had risen from her seat with the self-assured disposition of a person undoubtedly trying to conceal how intoxicated they truly are and made her way toward the bar. After ensuring that Jane was not watching her, she ordered a cheeky tequila shot along with her cocktail and swallowed it as quickly as she could, noting how easily the shot went down. She nearly ordered another, deciding against it when she could feel someone’s eyes on her. _

_   
_ _ She had just turned to make her way back to the table, a little less poised than she had been on her way to the bar, when she nearly collided with a man that stepped directly into her path.  _

 

_ “S-sorry,” she murmured quietly, not meeting the man’s eyes. _

 

_ “That’s alright, love. I’ve been waiting all night for a pretty thing like you to throw herself at me,” he laughed and lowered himself down to her eye-level, giving her a wink.  _

 

_ Katherine tried to take a step back, but his hand on her hip kept her from creating any space between them. Her heart leapt to her throat and her lungs refused to expand.  _

 

_ “Watch it, love. You almost went right into the back of that guy there.” A smarmy grin stretched across his face. _

 

_ She attempted to skirt around him, but his other hand came up to grasp her waist, tightening his hold, not letting her go anywhere. _

 

_ The drink dropped from her hand. Ice, fruit slices, and shards of glass ricocheting off the floor, sending shrapnel radiating in a wide circle. The man jumped backward, unsuccessfully avoiding the splash, but removing his hands from Katherine in the process. Seeing her opening, she dodged around him and the onlookers toward the nearest door. _

 

_ She didn’t look back until she had put several streets between herself and the pub. _

 

*

 

With the fresh evening air and a little time since she’d downed her last shot, she was feeling the effects of the alcohol coursing through her system. Shaking her arm after touching the gum made her unstable once more, and she wobbled a bit trying to find her balance again. 

 

Distracted, she hadn’t noticed the light change until it started indicating how many seconds she had remaining to cross the road safely. Cursing under her breath, she stepped into the road. The sound of a car horn startled her, making her lurch forward and stagger her way to the other side. She found herself pressed against the cool concrete of a building. She rested her forehead there for a moment, trying to will her body into responding as it normally would, but her inebriation continued to muddle the process. 

 

Knowing she was only going to become more incapable of keeping herself safe, she patted her pockets in search of her phone. All she found was her debit card and receipt from her last two drinks. She had left her phone with Jane at the table.

 

She was well aware of what she must look like. There was no way a taxi would pull over for her. 

 

Sighing, she slid down the wall, not caring that the uneven surface scraped at her skin. Feeling vulnerable, all alone and way too drunk, she resigned herself to the long wait until she sobered up enough to get herself home and let her tears fall freely before her eyes drifted shut.

 

*

 

It was some time later that Katherine felt herself being jostled about. 

 

“We’ve got you, sweetheart,” Parr whispered.

 

She struggled to open her eyes and make sense of the situation, only able to work with brief seconds between bouts of nausea. She felt someone rub soothing circles on her back before everything went dark again.

 

*

 

Katherine woke the next morning in her own bed with a bottle of water and painkillers on her side table. Her head was still foggy, and stomach unsettled, but otherwise she felt better than she ought to have. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was not alone in her bed. 

  
Flashes from the previous night made her freeze as panic flooded through her. Her breathing became ragged and she felt as though she was going to be sick again. 

 

The person behind her must have sensed her discomfort and woke from the sound of her strangled breathing.

 

“Hey, you’re alright,” Katherine knew that voice. Anxiety was keeping her from placing it to a name and face, but the comforting tone served as a palliative and she felt her terror subsiding. After a few moments, she was able to turn and face the other person in her bed. 

 

Parr.

 

All of the fight in Katherine left her. She eased herself back into her pillows and allowed herself a moment to regain control of her breathing.

 

“What happened last night? You said you were going to the bar and just disappeared. You scared the absolute life out of all of us,” Parr spoke softly, gently running her hand through Katherine’s hair. “You didn’t even have your phone on you.”

 

“A man,” Katherine started, feeling her stomach clench again at the thought of his abhorrent hands reaching for her. “He-he stood in my way. He grabbed my waist. Wouldn’t let me go.” She felt the tears dripping down the side of her nose and falling to her pillow. “I had to get out of there.”

 

“You should have yelled. Let us know what was happening so we could help you. You just left. What if he had followed you? What if someone else had found you instead of us?” Katherine could see the frustration and concern in Parr’s eyes and it only served to make her feel worse. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

 

“Then obviously you’re not very smart either.” Katherine knew Parr was right, but her words wounded all the same. She shifted over to get away from Parr’s ministrations. She heard Parr sigh before the mattress dipped as she climbed out of the bed.

 

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

 

Katherine heard her bedroom door open, and guilt overwhelmed her. After everything Parr had done for her that night, keeping her safe, looking after her, and making sure she wasn’t alone, she was lashing out at her. Katherine sought solace so desperately, and yet when it was generously offered, she had pushed it away. Incontrovertibly demonstrating that she wasn’t very smart at all.

 

“Catherine, wait. Please don’t go.” Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible to herself. She heard the door shut. The sound of the latch wrenching the sob from her chest that had only just been contained since she had rebuffed Parr’s comforting touch. 

 

The self-inflicted pain of pushing away her friend and the memories of the night had her in a stranglehold. She buried her face deeper in her pillow to muffle the sound of her crying, not caring that it impeded her ability to breathe even further. She wasn’t sure she wanted to anyways.

 

Until she heard, “I’m still here.” 

  
  



End file.
